July 2022 Member Feature!

Here’s what our members are up to.

 
Fokotho Collective is making moves! Their song writer and artist, has just released a remastered YouTube album called ‘Sacred Experiments’

Traditional funk artist set on keeping cultural patrimony alive

A custodian of heritage, Camagu Oberon uses music to preserve aspects of the African culture that run a risk of extinction in the modern digital age.  His work – as both a musician and a diviner – seeks to guide, to heal and to revive. The Traditional Funk virtuoso’s latest offering, ‘Sacred Experiments,’ is a YouTube series that reimagines and documents Xhosa Folk songs as a means of bringing them to the forefront of virtual reality.

The first chapter of the Sacred Experiments series is aptly titled Umthandazo (prayer) as it explores the role of women in the upholding of African spirituality. “When colonialism threatened indigenous spirituality, it is the African woman who hid the sacred inner workings of African spirituality in her womb to produce future generations that would become the culmination of strength, patience, wisdom and determination,” says Camagu.

Umthandazo is made up of five songs that Camagu has adapted from legendary traditional hymns that have stood the test of time. In true Camagu fashion, these songs  fuse elements of classical, jazz and Xhosa folk. The result is a peculiarly charming arrangement of strings and chords against enthralling vocals that are delivered in the purest form of the isiXhosa language.

UnoThixo omkhulu acknowledges the God that exists within humans, and in Love Letter to Mama, Camagu pays a tribute mothers who he believe carry the essence of Godliness; fostering and nurturing. An integral part of the nurturing process is the pre-birth trust that mothers place on their offspring for lineage continuity. Umphako Wokukhula refers to that while Abomama Bomthandazo details the mother’s prayers for protection as their offspring navigate life. The final track, Hikiki Sizokuvuma is a song of faith and positivity.

Camagu’s work if often delivered in isiXhosa, his mother tongue – another intentional attempt at retaining Africanism. “Languages are about more than just words; they also have sayings and ideas that cannot be translated. In this way, they keep our cultures alive and give us an important sense of belonging,” he explains.

Umthandazo is available for free streaming on Camagu Oberon’s namesake YouTube channel.

For press enquiries contact Siya Mahomba – 063 049 7212